Guest guest Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 An interesting Zen Poem sent to us by Ivan Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- A Fisherman By Ikkyu (Ikkyu Sojun)(1394 - 1481) English version by John Stevens Studying texts and stiff meditation can make you lose your Original Mind. A solitary tune by a fisherman, though, can be an invaluable treasure. Dusk rain on the river, the moon peeking in and out of the clouds; Elegant beyond words, he chants his songs night after night. -- from Wild Ways: Zen Poems of Ikkyu, Translated by John Stevens Amazon.com / Photo by Untitled blue / ============ Thought for the Day: Outwardly, determined effort is necessary.But within, nothing is neededexcept to yield. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Scott Huckabay Virtual Altar Listen / Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Ikkyu Sojun's poetry is irreverent and iconoclastic, bitingly critical of false piety, hypocrisy, and formalistic religion. His poetry is often frankly erotic, sometimes humorously so. Yet his poetry manages to reach an immediacy and insight that is the essence of Zen practice.--I like Ikkyu's gentle mocking here.The deeply committed spiritual path can so often become all consuming -- scholarship, meditation and other practices -- that we either become attached to the path, or engrossed in our own efforts, and in the midst of it all we forget our true goal... what is sometimes called in the Zen tradition, Original Mind. In true Zen style, Ikkyu cuts through all impediments, even those within his own spiritual tradition, in order to bring us back to the realization that our goal is immediate, right here, and utterly simple. It is not hidden behind arcane texts. It is not attained through uninspired, dogged effort.When we have readied ourselves, it is simply there. Sometimes all we need is the simplest reminder of fundamental truth -- a solitary fisherman singing his timeless chant on the river at night.IvanUpdate on My MotherI've had so many kind, caring notes from people in recent weeks asking for an update on how my mother is doing. I thought it would be simplest to share this note I posted this morning on Facebook:Strange conversation with my mother. Brain cancer starting to affect her thought process. Still the same person, but unexpected disconnects in her logic. A real challenge to reorient myself in how I relate to her, while not talking to her like a child... Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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